Step-illuminating light



Sept. 7 1926. 1,599,234 J. R. HIGHTOWER El' AL STEP ILLUMINATING LIGHTFiled July 3, 1925 2 Sheets-'Sheet 1 l f y Inval/item5 JQHNQJWGHUMERXMmmm HQQPER Patented Sept. 7, Y 1926.

JQHN R. nrerrfrownn LND WILLIAM Al'jirooienn, or iNoXviLLE, TENNESSEE.

' Application file d` July 3, 1.925.- Serial-Noj. 41,290.

d Thisinvention-relates toilluminationand section oir'thefpilot Vof such.a locomotive has special `reference'to locomotive illuminaillg.' meansparticularly designed lto attord villumination to. the steps andfo'otboards olif locomotives, tendersl and thelike..

It is a Well knownfact` that train men, yard men and4 otherV railwayemployees con- Vstantly get on and offifflocomotives `and tenders Whilethe latter areinmotion. rllhis is lespecially trueof yard men who areinthe habit of jumping- .yard engines inutheir Work aroundthe yard.vSuch engines and their tenders .areusuaflly provided With'front andVrear running boards or steps lWhich eX-` tendf transversely aerossVbetweenlthe rails vof the. track and the men jump .the vengine bystanding betweenthe rails in yfront of the approaching engine,yliftingone tootI and placing on the step as the engine rolls towardthem. Obviously a mis-step, as frequently happens at night WhenI thestep cannot be clearly'seen, frequently results in serious injury to theemployee and sometimes in death.' Y l Heretofore, no attempt has beenmade to overcome this lack of illumination at this critical place exceptby lantern or the likein the employees possession and this is ineffec-`tive because thelocation of the step can be only assured when the engine`has approached too close to the employee tojenable him to avoid theaccident. i

The Vprincipal and most important objects of the present invention is toprovide a novel arrangement of illumination forv such purposes whereinthesteps will be properly rendered visible at all times and wherein theilluminating means Will be positioned to be protected trom accident. andfrom throW- ing a glare in the employees eyes and thus blinding him andmaking accident more liable.

lVith the above and other objects in View aswill be hereinafterapparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter' .fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary road locomotive equippedWith 'this'invention. i Figure 2 is an enlarged detail-partly inshowing? the lighting arrangement;

Figure. 3v is. aV similar View. showing` the cab-,stepillumination.

engine equipped With this invention.

, v y `6l) Figure 4 is a .front .elevation of a yard Figure 5. is karear view of. aV yard tender similarly equipped;

.Figure 6 is 1 an enlarged detailv section through an endsill or bumper.showing-'one arrangement ofthe lamp. t y

Figure 7. isasimilar vieW show-ing a modiiication.

VFigure 8 isa similarnviewshowing a second modification.

drajvings several' modilications of.4 the invention'aredisclosjed butlin each'caseit will.

be seen that. the invention. improves not combinationot' suchalamp and aportionlot the engine,7tlie lampbeing so arranged Athat i y Inthepresent illustration as shown in the i.

only'a` mere illuminatinglamp butr also the e is is supported andprotected against injury.`

This is a very important feature of such an invention by reason of thefact that it is necessary, in order toproperly illuminate thefoot-boards or running-boards, the lamps being placed loW down on theengine in positions Where they would be constantlyv liable to be struckby an employee in getting on or oil". the engine unless provision Wasmade to'properly protect the lamp and protectit against vsuch injury.Furthermore, unless such provision was made not only would the lamp beliable to injury but the employee hitting` the lamp Would be apttoinjure himself. This is particularly true When such a lamp is used onVthe end sill or bumper of a yard engine or tender and it is to be'understood 1n this speciication that Where'reference is made toan endsill for rolling stock, this expression is intended to includethe bumperbeam of a locomotive and the end sill of a tender.

Bearing these facts in mind it Will be seen from the illustrations rin.the accompanying drawings that in Figure 1 there is disclosed alocomotive l0 of the ordinary road type and that this locomotivefispro-V vided With a pilot 11 having steps 12. Also the locomotive isprovided with a rear step land a rear end sill 14 as Well as a bumper orfront end sill 15. ASimilarly in Figures 4 and 5 there is disclosed ayard locomotive 16 having a bumper Aor frontend sill` 17 and a tender 18having an end sill 19. Both Y I the locomotive and tender are providedwith steps. or running-boardsfQO supported by brackets 2l from the endsills. The lamp may be either supported beneath the end sills as shownin Figures 4 and 5 or supported against-'the end sills as shown inFigure l. llhen supported beneath the end sills it is preferred that abracketl 2l be boltedV beneath the sill and that an adjustable armf22held by an adjustable bolt and' nut 23 be mounted pivotally on thebracket and carry a hood Q4 wherein is the lamp 25, suitable wiringconnections of any desired type leading to said lamp.

In cases where the lamp is supported against the bnrnpcr'the bracket ispreferablyy made' ot L-shape as shown at 26 in Figures 6 and 7 andcarries the hood 27 which lies against the face of the bumper o-n oneside so that it is firmlyv supported thereby, a pocket 2S being providedin some instances as shown in Figure 7 ln such a hood there is supportedthe usual lamp 29. It will be observed thatv these lamps are all in sucha position that the hood acts as a reflector to direct the light raysdownwardly onto'the steps and to prevent any ot the light rays strikingthe eye of the employee as bestands in front of or at therside of theengine. Thus thersteps are thoroughly illuminated while at the same timethe employee is not blinded by the light and the accidents that are soliable to happen through the em- It is obviousthat minor changes may bemade in the form and construction of theY invention without departingfrom the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired toconfine the invention tothe exact form herein shown and described, butitis desired to include all such as properly come within the scopeclaimed. f

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

In combination with aI rolling stock bumper and a step supported r belowsaid bumper, said bumper having Va pocket inthe vertical tace of thebumper adjacent the step and inclined downwardly Atoward the step; of alamp hood vfitted in said pocket .above the lower edge of the bumper,said hood constituting ay retlector from the lamp to direct rays fromVthe lamp onto said step.

tures.

.ln testimony whereof we aiiCiX our signa-V

